1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an infrared stove apparatus in which a heating is carried out by burning a gas fuel such as natural gas or kerosine on a porous burner plate, and particularly concerns an infrared stove apparatus which is improved to reduce the emission of nitrogen dioxide.
2. Description of Prior Art
Generally an infrared heater device has a casing into which a porous burner plate is enclosed to burn a gas fuel on the plate. The casing has a front opening to which the burner plate is located to face so as to serve as a heat radiation window. The casing further has an upper exhaust opening through which exhaust gas from the burner escapes.
However, a surplus amount of air supplied to the burner plate causes the emission of nitrogen dioxide gas, because nitrogen in the air tends to be oxidized by the high temperature atmosphere around the burner. In order to reduce the amount of the nitrogen dioxide emitted, it has been suggested to place a reducible catalyst within the exhaust opening on the one hand. On the other hand, it has been suggested to provide a baffle plate so as to prevent excessive air from entering the burner plate through the radiation window.
In the former counterpart, the reducible catalyst employed is expensive and easily deteriorates so that it is disadvantageous in saving manufacturing cost.
In the latter counterpart, however, the baffle plate absorbs the heat radiation from the burner and sacrifices radiant heat efficiency.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an infrared stove apparatus which is capable of reducing the emission of nitrogen dioxide with a relatively simple structure.